Newscast for Thursday, April 16, 2009

The fifth Summit of the Americas kicks off tomorrow. The summit brings together heads of state from the Western Hemisphere to discuss economic, social and political concerns. In anticipation of the event, President Obama penned an op-ed that ran in 14 papers in English, Spanish and Portuguese. He outlined some of his goals and said there is “no time to lose” in improving relations with countries in the Western Hemisphere. Obama is also strengthening ties with neighboring Mexico. Today President Obama is meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon to examine how the two nations can combat drug trafficking and violence. Already, President Obama has announced a new border czar and tougher sanctions on U.S. companies that do business with Mexican drug cartels. FSRN’s Karen Miller has more.

Tax day is behind us, but some of President Obama’s tax changes are still ahead. His changes could make the daunting maze of schedules and credits less complex – or they could do a better job targeting tax benefits to the people who need them most. Experts say they probably won’t be able to do both. Tanya Snyder reports.

Texas considers permitting concealed firearms on college campuses

Today marks two years since the Virginia Tech massacre. Thirty-two people were killed before the killer took his own life, making it the deadliest single-shooter incident in U.S. history. The incident prompted advocates of gun ownership to push for legislation that would allow people to carry concealed weapons on university and college campuses as a means of self-defense. Their efforts have so far failed in all states, but that may soon change in Texas. Legislators there are expected to vote in the coming weeks on a measure that would require all of the state’s public institutions of higher learning to allow concealed firearms into the classroom. Shannon Young reports from Austin.

The consequences of Sharia Islamic law in Pakistan’s Swat

Pakistani President Asif Zardari’s government went forth this week with legislation that implements Sharia Islamic law as the SWAT valley’s sole justice system. Despite the concession, the region’s militants are refusing to abandon weapons just yet. Skeptics argue that allowing militants to rule by their own interpretation of Sharia law will only further Talibanize the northern mountainous region once known as a place for tourism. They point to video of a woman being publicly flogged while screaming for mercy as evidence. While some locals welcome the implementation and hope that it will bring an end to violence with the Pakistani government, others worry that this will only lead to greater rifts with the West, particularly U.S. relations.

To find out more about Sharia law, FSRN’s Rose Ketabchi interviewed Senator Saeeda Iqbal, a professor and women’s rights advocate.

Emerging communist coalition threatens India’s major-party stronghold

Polls opened today in India in the first part of a five-stage election that’s expected to see an estimated 700-million people cast ballots. Discontent with the status quo turned violent Thursday when Maoist rebels killed five poll officials in a landmine blast. Eleven police were also killed today, making security a top issue for voters. But the country is also faced with a widening economic gap between the rich and poor. Although results won’t be known until a month from now, Bismillah Geelani reports that a new coalition made up of communists is threatening the political grip of India’s two most powerful parties.